Pinwall



(NuModel.) asneets-sheen 1.

- L. A. ASPINWALIM PoTATo PLMPTER.` 10,276,994. Patented May-8,1883.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

4 LA. ASPINWALL.

`1 0TAT0 PLANTBR. N0. 276,994. Patented May 8,1883.

Mw@ I .UNITED i STATES PATENT OFFICE. j

L'AUGUSTUS ASPIN WALL, OF TRENTUON, 'NEW JERSEY.

PoTATomLA'NTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 276,994, dated 'May 8 `31883'.

i Application led" Angustl, 1882. (No model.) i

To all whom `it may concern: Beit known `that I, Lnwrs AUGUSTUS As- PINWALL, of Trenton, in the State of New Jersey, have invented anlmprovement in Potato- Planters, of which the following is a specifica'-` tion. i i

The present invention `is a modification of and improvement uponA the device for which LettersPatent No. 235,401 were granted to me Decemberu14, 1880.

So far as theparts of theJ present` potatoplanter correspond with those in the aforesaid patent, I hereby refer to the same for a more full description. l i

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view. Fig. 2 is a vertical central section. Fig. 3 is a Vvertical sectionthrough the potato-hopper.

Fig. 4 is a cross-section at the line x x, Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is adetached plan of the plow. Fig. 6 is a side view; Fig.`7, an edgeview ofthe concaves.l Fig.1`8 is a sectionot' the iron frame.

Fig. 9 is a section of the plow-lifting bar, handle, and pole. Fig. 10 is an elevation of the marker-arm; Fig. 11 is a plan, and Fig. 12 a vview from the'rear of the joint for the markerarm. f

The main frame A is of metal. It extends forward, and is provided with a socket for the i reception of the pole or tongue A.

The axle cis in bearings on the frame A, and

it receives the wheels B. There is also a clutch, I, the same as in my aforesaid patent. l

The plow K is fastened to the frame M, said frame being pivoted atm to the frame A. The

plow is shown in plan View in Fig. 5, and it is provided with a suspending-bar, h, that passes through the rear end of the tongue A', and there is a tripper, h2, that is united to the bar h by a bolt, and is free to swing thereon. The lower en d of the tripper rests upon the upper surface of the tongue and holds the `plow up from the earth ingoin g tothe eld or in turning around 0n the headland.

upper end of the tripper, by'which itand the i There is ahandle at the bar and plow canbe raisedby the driver.

y When the plowis to be lowered to its working ent.

10, having a hinge-pinv passingalso through 6o i the clip-piece 13, so that the arm swings there# i on. There is a toe, 11, that projects from one side of the socket 10, and there is a standard,

14, and catch. 12, hinged thereon. Then this marker-arm is not being vused it is turned up at an inclination', (see Fig. 12,) at which time .the swinging catch 12 receives and holds the toe 11 in place, This `catch12 has inclined faces, so that it is pushed back bythe toe as the marker-arm is turned up, and the catch 12 7o then swings forward and holds the toe and marker-arm.

A weight, Z4, is-fastened to the arm l2, so as to press'the marker into the earth sufficiently, and the marker Z3 may be moved A to any desired position on thearm,so as toincrease or decrease the width between the rows as marked off for planting. A i

The coverers H are upon arms that extend down from the frame M, as in aforesaid patf The dish E upon the shaft c and the pickerarms-E upon such are similar to those insa-id patent. There may be either one spear, c, or two, and the hinged deliverers e act to crowd ,the'pieces of potatoes toward the spears, so 85 th atsuch pieces may be lifted up and carried to the place of delivery, where the hinged pieces e' are moved by the stationary roller f` and deliver the potato `offthe spears.

The lower and forward part of the hopper is 9o lrounded, as shown in Figs. 3 and 8, and there is a central segment, F', and a space between the parts, as shown in Figs. 1 and 8, 4for the arms E' to pass along and riseup through the mass of potatoes and pieces in the hopper as`\ the spears stab, lift, and carry over the pieces and deliver the saine in front of the hopper.

The concaves G are made in pairs, with their Opposite faces wider at the lowerrend Vthan at the upper end, as seen in Fig. 7, and` these opico posite faces are grooved inwardly and upwardly, so that the tendency of a potato or piece of potato as .it is lifted by the picker-arm `will be to run back into the narrower part between. the concaves, and thus oer sufficient resistance to insure the sticking of the spearinto i the potato. With 'this exception the concaves V are similar to those in my aforesaid patent.-

Each pair ot' concaves is hinged at 6, at the lower end, and provided with aflever-arm, 7,

Y extending from the-upper end to the spring27,

a device for keeping back the potatoes in the hopper D and preventing too great an accumulation in the hopper F. At o2, below the hopper D, is a link-joint or pivot for the arm o3. This arm has a bend or offset at 19, that passes up through the bottom of the hopper, just in front of the opening 18, and o4 is a hand or plate of sheet metal or wood, fastened to the'arm, and having an inclination corresponding, or nearly so, to that of the bottom of the hopper F, but at some little distance 'above' it. As the potatoes pass out from the hopper D they roll or slide inbetween the hopper and the hand, and as the pieces shake down toward the lowest part of the hopper F the hand is raisedby the accumulation of the in front of this opening.

potatoes beneath it, and in so doingthe offset 19 in thearm o? is raised up in front of the opening 1S; hence the potatoes are kept back in the hopper D until the quantityin the hopper F has been sutliciently consumed to allow the hand to descend.

I make use of a hopper, N, for containing t'ertilizing material-such as guano, bone-dust, or' phosphateswhich are scattered upon the potatoes inthe furrow or trench just before the coverers scrape the .earth together. The same means may be applied in the sowing of peas, beans, grain, or other material, so that the one machine is availablefor other uses besides the planting of potatoes, such as grain in drills, 85o. The bottom end ot' this hopper N is curved, as seen at r, and there is aspout, In the 'hop-- r', leading downwardly from 1'. per is an opening at 30, and a regulator, s, 'is The regulatoris pivoted at 31, (see Fig. 4,) and it can be raised or lowered at the other end by the action of a screw, 32, which also holds it firmly in any position to which the regulator'is adjusted. In this regulator is a notch which comes in front of the opening 30. This notch is preferably V-shaped and of a size adapted to the fertilizer or other material'made use of. The rockshaft is in front of. the hopper N.l It passes 'beneath the hopper F, and is supported by bearings upon the same, or upon the frame A. At the outer end of the rock-shaft there is an arm, 40, acted upon by the cam u in one direction, and by the spring42 in the other direction, and at the inner end this rock-shaft is provided -with an arm and a segmental agitator, fv, having cross-tin gers o. This agitator occupies the opening in the notched regulator, and

"when this agitator remains quiescent the crossngers detain the material in the hopper and cause it to bank up in the concave lower end of the hopper at the opening of the regulator, so that the contents of the hopper will not flow down until the agitator receives a motion, the same swinging in the are of a circle, and causing more or less of the material to be drawn out and delivered, according to the extent of motion given to the rock-shaft t by the cam u.

To eft'ect this object a limiting-screw is applied to determine the amount of movement of the lever-arm 40and its roller toward the recessed portions of the cam a. By this means the agitator can be made to draw out of the bottom 0f the hopper, and deliver more or less offertilizer or seeds at each reciprocation.

To prevent the fertilizer or other material remaining against the sides of the upper part ot' the hopper,I connect with the upper end of the agitator the loose stirrer w by a link-joint, so that the stirrer may move about from side to side ot' the hopper, and there are pins therein, which serve to stir the mass in the hopper, and cause it to fall down regularly to the bottom of the hopper. This stirrer, being upon the end ot' the reciprocating agitator, has an upand'down motion, and I prefer to place two cross-bars at 45, to limit'the lateral motion of the upper end, as it may fall in one direction or the other.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination, with the plow K, of the bar h and the tripper h2, having a lifting-handle vand pivoted to the link, as and for the purposes set forth.

2. The combination, with the potato-planting devices, of thetongue A', the marker Z3, markerarm l2, hinge 10, toe 1l upon one side ot' the socket for the arm, and the hinged catch 12, substantially as set forth.

3. Thecombination, with the revolving arms and spears, ot' the concaves Gr, having inclined faces that are narrowest atthe upper ends, and corrugations or grooves inclined inwardly and upwardly, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination, with the hopper for containing potatoes, of the hinged arm having an offset near the exit of the potatoes from the hopper, and the hand or oat o, substantially as set forth.

5. In combination with a hopper for con'- 'taining the material to be sown, a rock-shaft and mechanism, substantially as specified, for moving the same, an agitator formed as an arc of a circle, with teeth supported and moved `by such rock-shaft and en tering the delivery-spout of thehopper, substantially as specified.

6. In combination with a hopper for seeds or manure, the cut-oft' s, the rock-shaft, means for moving the same, the segmental agitator, and the loo'se stirrer jointed to the agitator, substantially as set forth.

Signed by me this 22d day of August, A. D.

L. AUGS. ASPINWALL. Witnesses:

WILLIAM Gr. Mo'rT, HAROLD SERRELL.

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